The present invention relates to a gasification reactor comprising a gasifier in a tubular gastight wall with a lower end opening into an aqueous slag collection bath, wherein the gastight wall is arranged within a pressure vessel. The invention also relates to a method of using a pressure responsive device, such as pressure equalizer or a pressure measurement device, with such a gasification reactor. The invention also relates to a pressure equalizer and a pressure measurement device for such a gasification reactor.
Gasification reactors can for instance be used for the production of synthetic gas by partial combustion of a carbonaceous feed, such as pulverized coal, oil, biomass, gas or any other type of carbonaceous feed. During this process, slag is continuously deposited on the inside of the gastight wall of the gasifier. Slag deposits fall down from the gasifier wall into the slag collection bath.
Some gasification reactor types only have a discharge opening at their lower end for discharging syngas via the aqueous slag collection bath. Due to the pressure build-up in the gasifier, freshly produced synthetic gas containing slag and fly ash particles is forced to flow down through the slag collection bath around the lower edge of the gasifier wall to be recollected in the annular space between the gasifier wall and the pressure vessel wall. This way the water in the slag collection bath cleans and cools the synthetic gas.
The amount and size of the slag lumps falling from the gasifier wall can be such that the discharge opening of the gasifier is continuously covered by slag lumps reducing—or even blocking—the effective gasifier outlet opening. This causes a built up of overpressure in the gasifier which can cause substantial damage.
The temperature in the gasifier can be as high as about 1600° C. Due to these high temperatures and the high pressure and circulation of fly ash and slag particles, pressure control could only take place by using downstream pressure control equipment. It was hitherto not possible to monitor or control pressure built up within the gasifier itself or to reduce pressure differences between the spaces at either side of the gasifier wall.